WEEK 8
August 28-September 3

  The end of my stay here aboard R/V Walton Smith is in sight, and I’m pretty sure they are going to have to drag me away, kicking and screaming.  I’ve really become attached to my new home and family.  We are preparing for my final 3 cruises, making sure the dockside projects are all completed and that the vessel is in ship-shape.

  We are still having issues with a monitor in the bridge, and we have replaced all the components and cables…twice.  I’m beginning to think there is a ghost in the machine.

  Denis, the ship’s Marine Tech, and I cut a 15 meter section from the 322 cable used to deploy the CTD.  On the cruise that involved deploying the Tucker Trawl, it had become damaged as a result of the clumsy retrieval method.

  A short section of the counter-torque cable was unraveled, exposing the wires inside. The stainless steel termination was heated to melt the cerrobend inside, a metal alloy with a very low melting point of 158 degrees, comprised of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium.  The strands of the counter-torque cable are wrapped in opposite directions, preventing the cable from twisting under a load.  Individual strands were separated and peeled back, then secured back to the cable with a winding of wire. The exposed wires were fed through the termination and out a hole in the side, and the exposed strands of cable were inserted into the bottom.  When the fresh cerrobend was melted and poured in, the splayed cable array served to secure the cable in place, much like rebar in cement.  When the cerrobend solidified, the three wires protruding from the side were then terminated and the cable was once again ready for use, as good as new.

  During the week we completed the horizontal testing of the deck tie-down sockets, using a load cell secured with shackles in line with a chain fall.  The new records were updated and filed for future reference.

  The ship is scheduled for a month-long trip to Cuba in October, and the extensive paperwork has been a nightmare for those involved in handling the logistics.  Next week I’ll be tasked with inventory duties in order to assist with this daunting effort.

Preparing the 322 cable for termination